Hundreds of Peterborough COVID patients recruited for coronavirus trial

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust has recruited its 600th patient to the national Recovery (the Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy) Trial.
The Trust is one of the top ten recruiting sites for the study, with 1 in 5 patients admitted to Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough City Hospitals with Covid-19 participating in the trial.
Dr Kanchan Rege, Chief Medical Officer at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Research is more important than ever and will help us learn more about the virus so we can treat it effectively. The initial findings from the study have already shown that dexamethasone and tocilizumab, drugs used in other conditions to reduce inflammation, significantly reduced risk of death for hospitalised patients with severe covid-19. These are now used as part of the standardised care given to patients. 
“Recruiting 600 patients to the trial is a phenomenal milestone and is due to an enormous effort made by the Trust’s clinical research team, as well as the courageous involvement of those patients who have been eligible to take part, and who continue to be central to staff motivation. So far, more than 37,000 patients have taken part in the trial in the UK, with recruitment continuing as long as is needed.”
The RECOVERY trial (The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy) is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation, and is led by the University of Oxford.